Today’s REI Classroom Lesson

Alex Pardo talks to us today about how he’s more efficient when taking short breaks every hour or two so that your brain has time to recharge.

REI Classroom Summary

By taking breaks throughout the work day, you’re able to get more done without getting burnt out.

Listen to this REI Classroom Lesson

Real Estate Investing Classroom Show Transcripts:

Mike: Welcome back to the FlipNerd.com REI classroom, where experts from across the real estate investing industry teach you quick lessons to take your business to the next level. And now, let’s meet today’s expert host.

Alex: What’s going on, guys? Alex Pardo, your host for another REI Classroom. In today’s lesson, I’m going to share with you how you can get more done in less time and get more results by working in sprints and not marathons.

Mike: This show was sponsored by passiverental.com.

Alex: Okay, guys, so one of the things that I’ve learned the hard way throughout the years is I would wake up early. When I started this business, I think, almost 11 years ago now, I think this was 2005 when I got started, I would wake up early, and then I would hustle, hustle, hustle. And I’d go throughout the day, and then naturally at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 in the day, I’d have this feeling of crashing, right? My energy was low. I’d feel tired. And while a lot of that depends on your exercise and your diet and what you’re putting in your body, there’s also something to be said for working in a sprint versus a marathon.

You see, back then, I was working in a marathon. I was just going, going, going, and then I was hitting a brick wall at3:00, 4:00 in the day. And what I did was . . . and I actually learned this from a mentor years ago . . . is I would work in 60- to 90-minute blocks and then I would take a 10- to 15-minute break. So let me give you an example. I would work from 9:00 to 10:00 or even 9:00 to 10:30. I don’t think you want to go any longer than 90 minutes because there have been studies that show that not only can you get more done by focusing and being efficient in a condensed time block versus just going on and working on a task.

But the mind . . . a lot of entrepreneurs have ADD, and so, you know, going past 60, 90 minutes, sometimes it’s hard to focus. And so I’ll work from, say, 9:00 to 10:00, and then I’ll take a 10-minute break from 10:00 to 10:10. Right? And then at 10:10 or 10:15, I’ll start again on another 60- to 90-minute break, and then that second break, I’ll take a 30-minute break. Okay? And that could be your lunchtime, for example.

And I think the key with this is when you get away from your break, don’t check email, don’t do anything business or task or project-related. You want to do something completely different. Go outside and get some sunlight. Get a little, quick workout in. Read a book. Hang out with your family. Just do something completely unrelated. And by disconnecting, I think you’re giving your mind a chance to kind of take a mini vacation and then come back and get focused.

One quick tip, though, is when you focus on that 60-minute block, you’re only going to be effective if you are 100% focused on that task. So don’t have Facebook open, don’t be checking e-mails in between because you’re not going to be as effective. So the challenge for you is to work in sprints, not marathons, time block 60 to 90 minutes, then take 15 minutes off, then go back, do another 60 to 90 minutes, then take 30 minutes off. And you’re going to see that it’s going to avoid that crashing feeling later on in the afternoon and you’re going to get a lot done in less amount of time.

Mike: PassiveRental.com is your source for turnkey done-for-you rental properties. If you’d like to be an investor and not a landlord, please visit PassiveRental.com to learn how to purchase cash flowing, professionally managed rental properties in the hottest rental markets across the country. We can also help connect you with financing for your next property. Invest the easy way today and get started by visiting PassiveRental.com.

Please note, the views and the opinions expressed by the individuals in this program do not necessarily reflect those of FlipNerd.com or any of its partners, advertisers or affiliates. Please consult professionals before making any investment or tax decisions, as real estate investing can be risky.

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Alex Pardo has been investing in real estate for 9 years. Before he started working on his real estate investing business, he worked for GE Consumer Finance in their Financial Management Program. He quickly realized that staring at Microsoft Excel for 14 hours a day was the fast lane to the dreaded rat race, so he completed the 2-year program, and decided to backpack around Europe and Africa for 3 months, before diving into Real Estate full-time. Two months later, he closed his first deal and made $44,000. Almost as much as he made in 1 year at General Electric, and needless to say he hasn’t looked back. Fast forward to today, he has started several businesses and has learned as much from his failures as he has from his successes. To date his company has closed over 250 real estate transactions and has helped countless homeowners and investors in the process.